Review of American Beauty (1999) by Shahmeer H — 20 Jan 2014

Excellent. Brilliant. Strong. Unique. Beautiful. These words describe American Beauty, these are the words that make it a unique piece of cinema. The darkest themes in this movie make you laugh, and nothing else I've ever seen keeps dark comedy so dramatic and humorous. In 1999, it was a big year for movies that are all about the turn of the century. These movies asked us "What have we been doing with our lives and what's the point f we don't enjoy?" Movies like Fight Club, The Matrix, American Beauty and more asked us these questions. These are the questions that fuel our every day lives, these questions ask us why we even fuel our every day lives in the first place? I was very young at the turn of the millennium, and my opinion on how we have changed since the year 1999 is no where to be seen. Movies told us how to change, what we can do to change ourselves, what we can do to improve society as we go into the year 2000. Rather, though, American Beauty does not tell us how to change, it asks us why we should change before we do start to change. It's not a matter of improving society, but improving ourselves as individuals and before go into changing the world we must realize who we are and how we can change ourselves. Alan Ball writes very similarly to Fight Club in American Beauty when he tells us to let go and to discover ourselves before scrambling to please others, or even please our family. Satirical films like Fight Club and American Beauty are both hilarious, but they are funny because they want to show how ridiculous we truly are. These films ask us not to endure the negative things in the world and to wait for the good things to come, but rather to find the beauty in the world and seek it out and then the beauty will come to you. As Lester Burnham says "There's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life..." you can't help but feel right. I feel angry when I can't see the beauty, but I know I can't wait for it to come and I have to do something about it. Fight Club and this film hit home with me, because a lot of the times I feel as if the world is ugly towards me, and that everyone else sees false beauty. But that is wrong. I see the false ugliness, and when you can do something to find the beauty, because it's there and always waiting for you and welcomes you in, that is when there is true beauty in yourself. Because there is beauty in everybody and everyone sees it in everyone else, and the only person that can't see it in you is yourself. But it's there. It truly is there.

American Beauty is a drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. It stars Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, and Chris Cooper. It's about a two everyday suburban families and how life is not what it seems in every one of these households. The screenplay by Alan Ball proves to be not only hilarious, but also full of meaning and heart. Alan Ball won an Oscar for writing this film, for it truly has plenty to say and plenty to talk about, and its themes of the curtain behind modern American suburbia is strong and very prevalent. Alan Ball writes this story to show how the facade of the neighborhood household is a lie, and on the inside everything is chaos and hell. It talks about how fitting in is not what people were meant to do, and how they were meant to explore and rather explore themselves and form groups based on who they are not based on who others are. It talks about how everyone does not have to be the best and rather how everyone simply needs to try and do their best. Alan Ball talks about how beauty in the world can be shrouded by the darkness, but that even darkness has beauty and amazement to it. Alan Ball wrote so many themes in one movie, telling the audience to forget the materialistic way of life and enjoy themselves, that its hard not to give this film a second watch as I will be very soon. Let alone all the themes, the film is hilarious in its own right, owning up to many a times when the characters freak out and you can't help but laugh with them or at them or sometimes both. The film also draws many complex, layered characters who want different things and don't understand themselves. Not one character in this great ensemble truly realizes who they are, and slowly they all change during the course of the film. It's done like a symphony, different characters all doing their own thing and changing as the temp changes, but all of them are one continuous unit, all finding themselves and all working together to help each other be found, whether it's on purpose or not. Alan Ball's use of comedy in this film is outstanding as well, and blends perfectly with the drama and dark themes portrayed throughout. Alan Ball writes a film that makes you think, that makes you realize you can't please others before you please yourself, and that happiness will never come to you unless you set out to find it yourself, and then you will find it.

The cast of American Beauty is A plus. Kevin Spacey gives the best film performance I have every seen him give, as he finds himself personally and does not let anyone get in his way. He's hilarious in scenes, sad in scenes, pathetic in scenes, and the best part is when he is redeeming. Lester Burnham, the character he portrays, spent practically his whole life working a nine to five job, doing what his wife wants him to, and never enjoying what he wanted personally. But slowly, he begins to change, and when he finally does you can't help but cheer and root for him. The more the film progresses, the more he begins to enjoy life and himself, and surprisingly, he cares more for others this way. Lester redeems himself constantly and his depressed persona turn into one of hilarity and rebellion, someone you can't help but really admire. He doesn't care what others think of him anymore and isn't stuck on the collar of his leash his wife so harshly clings on to. He is confident, changing, and in the end, a character Kevin Spacey portrays excellently. He deserved his Oscar well and plays a character I would love to see more of in cinema. Annette Bening also plays a hard-working, materialistic wife who aspires for greatness and blames everyone else for not being able to get her there. Carolyn Burnham is who she portrays, and she is also the same as Lester, but she never reaches that redeeming quality that Lester reached. Bening's character instead feels she is already redeemed, and her naivity is portrayed excellently by Annette Bening. She feels as if she understands everything but she understands nothing, and she refuses to understand that. These two characters, Lester and Carolyn, are both the pivotal examples of American suburbia. Everyone either thinks they will go nowhere, or everyone either thinks they have gone everywhere. Both terrible thigns ot be, but both clear examples of how the American middle class works and operates. The rest of the cast of characters is quite like this, two characters who find beauty in themselves and each other, and two other characters who think they have beauty already and deny the rest of the world's beauty. Redemption and acceptance is all portrayed by this cast excellently, and I'm surprised a lot of them have not become bigger. Excellent acting all around.

Sam Mendes, though, is the man who made the movie. His brilliant direction is so solid, so consistent, that every shot seems well put together and well done. Nothing lacks from his direction for his mix of comedy, darkness, frustration and drama all in one movie makes his direction amazing. He directs the film to be a modern piece of art, with each brushstroke consistent with the last. It's some of the best direction I have every seen in a film, and takes a film that seems like a dark comedy into a pure drama with elements of almost every genre. I applause Mendes direction in this film, for it's always on top and the film was fully realized with him. At times he uses covert lighting to express a covert mood, but at the same time he shows the characters as amusing misfits. Mendes direction is a reason I would go watch this film again by it's own right for I cannot give it enough praise. It's the best part of the film, for his choice of cast, the locations, the lighting, the way he expresses the meaning of the film is something that takes talent. His Oscar for this movie is greatly deserved and paved the way for many modern films today and many films in the future. Nothing seems out of place and everything in the movie was very well done. Very solid direction, there's not much to say about it except watch this film for the direction and you will love it in it's own right. Best direction I have seen in a long time.

American Beauty holds up even today. It is the film that has inspired many films that have been releases in the past decade and many films would not be here had it not been for this film. The themes it tells is greatly parallel to one of my personal favorite, Fight Club, and if anything takes themes of its own. Alan Ball writes this film to express the satire in the neighborhoods of the middle class and makes them humorous but as well as terrifying. He writes to tell us not be like others, not to conform to others, but rather to conform to yourself and realize what you want in life instead of trying to fulfill others needs. Some succeed at this, some don't, and this films shows why these two types of people need to exist in order for the other to exist. The acting is great and is by far Kevin Spacey's best big screen performance (I personally think his House of Cards work on Netflix is his best work overall) and Annette Bening also gives a performance to exemplify the denial and false acceptance of the middle class society. She deserved an Oscar as much as Spacey did, and she was robbed for not receiving one. The entire cast from Chris Cooper to Angela Hayes express their uncertainty to the best, and all deserved nominations and great praise if nothing else. Sam Mendes directs his best and makes a film whose moods vary so much it could confuse the viewer but he blends them all together to form a complete, firm expression. American Beauty has been directed perfectly, has been written excellently, has been acted greatly, and sends messages not many others can today. In 1999, when the world was entering a new year, a new century, a new millenium, a new life is the perfect time for this film to be released. It asks us why we should change, and tells us don't let the positive things come to you, go to positive things, search them out, and the beauty will come to you. 10/10.